Examination of the psychometric properties of the Test Anxiety Inventory for Children and Adolescents (TAICA) with a sample of Hispanic and White adolescents

This study examined the internal consistency reliability, test score stability, and concurrent validity of the scores of the Test Anxiety Inventory for Children and Adolescents (TAICA; Lowe & Lee, 2004), a new multidimensional measure of test anxiety based on the most recent conceptualizations of the test anxiety construct. The TAICA consists of three scales (Total Test Anxiety, Performance Enhancement/Facilitation Anxiety, and Lie) and four debilitating test anxiety subscales (Cognitive Obstruction/Inattention, Physiological Hyperarousal, Social Humiliation, and Worry). In addition, ethnic and gender differences were examined on the TAICA scales and subscales.

Coefficient alphas for the TAICA scores for the total sample, male and female subsamples, and Hispanic and White subsamples were calculated and test score stability coefficients were computed for the TAICA scores for the total sample, male and female subsamples, and Hispanic and White subsamples using the Pearson r statistic. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were also computed for the TAICA scores for the total sample, male and female subsamples, and Hispanic and White subsamples. Concurrent validity of the TAICA scores with scores of another measure of test anxiety, the Test Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, 1980), was also examined for the total sample, Hispanic and White subsamples, and the male and female subsamples.

Results of these analyses revealed that the internal consistency reliability estimates for the scores of the TAICA scales and subscales were in the good to excellent range for the total sample, the Hispanic and White subsamples, and the male and female subsamples for the two testing sessions, with the exception of the Lie scale scores, which were in the adequate range. Temporal stability coefficients for the scores of the TAICA scales and subscales were in the moderate to strong range for the total sample and subsamples. Intraclass correlation coefficients were in the moderate to very strong range for the TAICA scales and subscale scores for the total sample, Hispanic and White subsamples, and male and female subsamples. Moderate to strong correlation coefficients were found between the TAICA Total Test Anxiety scale scores and the four debilitating test anxiety subscale scores and the TAI scale and subscale (Worry and Emotionality) scores for the total sample, Hispanic and White subsamples, and male and female subsamples.

Results of the MANCOVA and three ANCOVAs, with SES serving as the covariate, indicated no statistically significant ethnic or gender differences on the TAICA four debilitating test anxiety subscales, Total Test Anxiety scale, and Performance Enhancement/Facilitation Anxiety scale. However, there was a statistically significant interaction found between ethnicity and gender on the Lie scale, with White males scoring significantly higher than Hispanic males. Implications of the findings, limitations of the study, and future research directions are discussed.

This study provides school psychologists with information regarding test anxiety in the Hispanic adolescent population. The TAICA may possibly aid in the early identification of test anxiety among Hispanic students, which may lead to early intervention for these students.

If your library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
(PQDT) database, you may be entitled to a free electronic version of this
graduate work. If not, you will have the option to purchase one, and access
a 24 page preview for free (if available).

About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With nearly 4 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT)
Global database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the
world. It is the database of record for graduate research.

PQDT Global combines content from a range of the world's premier universities -
from the Ivy League to the Russell Group. Of the nearly 4 million graduate works
included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 2.5 million in full text
formats. Of those, over 1.7 million are available in PDF format. More than
90,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.

If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site -
http://www.proquest.com - or call
ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.